Mobile Suit SD Gundam Mk III
Mobile Suit SD Gundam Mk III ( Kidou Senshi SD Gundam Mk III, SD Gundam Mk. III, 機動戦士SDガンダム Mk III ) is a series of SD Gundam animated shorts set in the original SD Gundam Sengokuden world. Each episode up until the last is extremely brief, even for SD Gundam, running usually around a scant three minutes thirty seconds up until the last which is the more average SD Gundam length of approximately twelve minutes. The five episodes are respectively: #The Chapter of Heaven #The Chapter of Earth #The Chapter of Truth #The Chapter of Reason #Ninja Battle at Zuum City The last episode of the series was released as a bit of an aside and features a slightly different opening title. Synopsis The Chapter of Heaven The first chapter explains the setting and then goes on to introduce the Gundam Band of Five, Musha, MK II, Zeta, Double Zeta and Nu as they confront the Army of Darkness, Zakuto and the Zaku Band of Three, Kozaku, Konzaku and Shinzaku. The Zaku Band of Three Introduces themselves, but MK challenges them and with one swing each of his two swords he bisects the katanas of the approaching Zakus. They react in shock, however after an instant they regain composure (and somehow their katanas) at which point Zeta challenges them. He leaps into the air summoning Musha Horse and they combine to form Zeta Centarus Special. They attack him, but each hit one another in the forehead. Zeta then leaps through the air to attack them, but is zaped by an electrical pulse from Zakuto, disabling him momentarily. The three then flee with paper gliders attached to their backs despite Double Zeta attempting to shoot them down with a bazooka. The Chapter of Earth The second chapter gives the standard opening used by the previous episode, then recaps Zeta getting zapped and the Zakus escaping. The scene shifts to Gundam Castle. The Gundam Band of Five report on their encounter with the Army of Darkness and ask the leader Shogundam if he knows of them. He replies that they are a terrifying force, beginning to speak of Zakuto but is intrerrupted as he discovers spies, using his skill to skewer the Zaku Band of Three who were hiding beneath the floor. They then again introduce themselves, this time doing so a bit differently. As the others remark at the fact that they have inflitrated the castle Nu chooses to engage them, he launches his funnels which spin in circles over their heads confusing them, then he summons Kiryu and combines into Musha Kiryu, chasing them while breathing fire. MK II summons an eagle and combines with it into Musha Eagle, shooting white balls after them from an apparent rocket launcher and chasing them the other direction. Continuing the trend Double Zeta transfroms into Musha Tank, chasing them straight towards the screen. Musha Gundam charges straight towards them, finishing them with a passby, they give dramaticly saying that Zakuto will definitely take revenge for them, then excuse themselves and walk off saying "Run Away." Shogundam thanks the Gundam Band of Five for keeping peace and defeating the "terrifying" Zaku clan. The Chapter of Truth This third episode forgoes the opening from the previous two and attempts at recap, it instead introduces the force that supports the Gundam Band of Five from the shadows, Onmitsu Gundam. Shogundam entrusts him with a letter that must be delivered to Daishogun. Onmitsu pledges himself and runs towards the castle of Daishogun. His way is blocked by Hambrabi of the Tobinin Clan. The two engage in a ninja battle at increasingly fast pace until in the two clash and land facing each other in a face off. As a ninja battle the two stare at one another, assesing the other and dueling in their minds... much time passes, darkness falls and the sun again rises. By this time Onmitsu has arrived and delivered his message to Daishogun, but it is not until that morning that Hambrabi discovers that Onmitsu has used a replacement technique and what he is staring at is actually a log. The Chapter of Reason The fourth episode returns to the first two's opening explaining the battle between the two factions. The story begins at the castle of the Army of Darkness. The three Zaku brothers find their plans proceeding well but are perplexed that they cannot defeat the Gundam Band of Five. Shinzaku points out the obvious reasoning why - they are outnumbered. Konzaku makes the logical leap that numbers are the way to win and they decided to attempt to attack the individual members three on one and defeat them. They set an evil trap by writing Musha a love letter telling him to meet a fictitious girl, named Zakuko by the canal. He takes the bait. The trio challenges him, he calls them honorless, but his companions appear instantly to save him, much to the chagrin of the three Zaku brothers. Musha joins his companions then impales the trio at once on his naginata, MK II and Zeta use the three swords they have between the two of them to hit all three of the brothers in the head at once, Nu then flies over, dropping a 50 ton weight on them and Double Zeta launches a finishing attack with a hyper cannon from his forehead. The Zakus hypocritically call the ambush cowardly as they are shot into the night. Ninja Battle at Zuum City The last episode of SD Gundam Mk III follows the ninja Onmitsu Gundam who was introduced in The Chapter of Truth. Yamishogun the leader of the Army of Darkness proclaims his citadel Zuum City completed and invites Shogundam to send a ninja to investigate to confirm this. He calls upon Onmitsu to fulfill this task for him. Onmitsu disappears, first hiding on the ceiling and then going to the lands of the Army of Darkness. He finds the Zaku Band of Three, follows them and tunnels into the ground towards Zuum City. He ends up tunneling straight into a river, a partoling Zaku suspect something, but impales nothing more than a few bananas. Onmitsu swims through the river then uses plungers and swatch of stone on his back to stealthily ascend the walls of Zuum, he accidentally lands in the mouth of a cannon and is shot away. Landing, he falls down a series of slides and into a trap room with a lowering ceiling. He hits a button and escapes into an adjacent room where he finds the brothers Hyakushiki and Hyakkumaru who were let in by the very guard that Onmitsu nearly died trying to evade. They are playing cards, but secretly trying to find the identity of Yamishogun, they accuse him of doing the same, however he insists that he is merely on vacation. He attempts to prove this, but ends up triggering a trap that opens a trap door under him and lands him in front of a table occupied by three kunoichi. He makes a basket of fruit appear, saying that he is there to deliver it, but their leader Quebely cuts into quarters saying she won't be tricked, he then spontaneously opens a bargain clothes stand and they leap upon it trying to find the best deal, Onmitsu then uses his ten times normal speed to cut out a section of wall then disappear behind it and replace it, upon doing so however he falls into a pit of spikes, but his Flying Squirrel Technique of gliding with a blanket saves him. The kunoichi appear in his path and attempt to stop him, but the advancing Palace Athene inadvertently traps them all by blocking the passage with her spider web technique, it expanding from her shield missile mounts. Meanwhile the kunoichi find Hyakushiki and Hyakkumaru and tie them up, dragging them off to be fed to a pit of sharks, Onmitsu makes a telephone call to Shogundam from a telephone booth inside the castle, remaining inconspicuous through the use of a large tan trench coat. Onmitsu sees the brothers being lowered to the sharks, but he resolves that saving them would expose his mission and he would fail, however another ninja group appears and Asshimar transforms attacking him with a Flying Disk Technique. He evades and Asshimar goes through the vent and opposite wall, cutting the rope supporting the brothers in the process, they grab it and Onmitsu leaps on, the brothers swing across the pit and land through the hole in the other wall, Onmitsu falls as the kunoichi cut the rope, but his replacement technique reveals that he has taken the spot of one of the ninjas and he runs off. Meanwhile the brothers land in a cake of the Zaku Band of Three. Onmitsu battles the kunoichi and reach a standoff as Quebely split herself into nine clones. The Zaku Band of Three find a watermelon to split, occupying their time. Hyakkumaru replaces the watermelon with a bomb and the resulting explosion propels all the characters up through the tower to where Zakuto is congratulating Yamishogun. A white lion attacks Onmitsu and he is propelled back into the floor, he and some of the others exchange launching one another on a see-saw and during it all he manages to take a picture in Yamishogun's tower. The last launch attempt fails and Onmitsu uses his verniers instead to escape as the castle collapses behind him and the brother in the rubble invite the others to join them in a game of cards. Back at Gundam Castle the group all cluster around Onmitsu developing the negative in a darkroom, however Yamishogun is revealed to have not come out and still be nothing more than a black silhouette in the photograph, having used a replacement technique. Onmitsu disappears to the ceiling once more, realizing that he will have to go out to gather the information again. Cast & Crew References & Sources *Official Website (Japanese) *Anime News Network Category:SD Gundam